Tag Archives: 2nd Annual Choreographers Of Color Award

The Joffrey Academy of Dance, Official School of The Joffrey Ballet, announces a national call for artists to submit applications for the Joffrey’s Second Annual Choreographers of Color Award. The goal of the Award is to recognize promising young choreographers of color whose diverse perspective will ignite creativity in the form of original works of dance. The deadline for application is October 1, 2011 and winners will be notified by November 1, 2011.

Three selected choreographers will be given a minimum of 30 rehearsal hours to set their pieces on the Joffrey Academy Trainees. Each winning choreographer will also receive a $2,500 stipend and an opportunity to work directly with Joffrey Artistic Director, Ashley C. Wheater, and Academy Artistic Directors, Alexei Kremnev and Anna Reznik. Choreographers whose permanent residence is more than 100 miles from Joffrey Tower will be provided with accommodations for the duration of a two-week residency. The completed new works will be performed at various venues throughout the 2011-2012 academic year, including the Joffrey Tower and the Harris Theater for Music and Dance. Last year’s Choreographers of Color Award winners were Francisco Aviña and Amy E. Hall.

Choreography created for the Joffrey Academy Trainees must be original work developed by the applicant. The finished piece must be a minimum of 10 minutes and maximum of 12 minutes long. To be eligible, applicants must be 18 years of age or older. International students are excluded, as are foreign nationals who hold citizenship with countries other than the U.S., unless they are naturalized or permanent residents.

To apply, interested choreographers must submit the following by mail: a DVD with a five-minute or less excerpt of their choreography with a brief written description; a letter of intent describing their interest in the competition and the kind of work they will create; a headshot and curriculum vitae with three references; and, a general application, which can be found online at joffrey.org/choreographersofcolor. There is no submission fee. Materials can be mailed to: The Joffrey Ballet, Attn: Choreographers of Color Competition Selection Committee, 10 E. Randolph Street, Chicago, IL, 60601.

Students are selected to participate in the Trainee Program by invitation from The Joffrey BalletArtistic Director, Ashley C. Wheater, and Academy Artistic Directors, Alexei Kremnev and Anna Reznik. The Trainee Program is a rigorous two-year program in which students train in ballet and other dance disciplines. Graduates from this program have been accepted into ballet companies around the world, including The Joffrey Ballet, the Berlin Staatsballet and BalletMet. Trainees rehearse and perform classical and contemporary works from The Joffrey Ballet’s extensive repertoire and have the opportunity to work with world-renowned guest choreographers. The Academy of Dance opened in January of 2009 and received the 2010 Youth America Grand Prix Outstanding School Award.